Believe it or not, “The Exorcism” isn’t connected to last year’s “The Pope’s Exorcist”. Without question there are some striking similarities. Both are supernatural horror movies about demon possession and both star Oscar winner Russell Crowe. But it doesn’t take long watching “The Exorcism” to recognize it is doing some dramatically different things. And while I had a blast with “The Pope’s Exorcist”, this film takes a slightly different approach to the demonic possession subgenre. The results are mixed at best.

Crowe plays Tony Miller, a once revered movie star whose self-destructive behavior derailed his career and his life. After his wife was diagnosed with cancer, Tony spiraled into a world of drugs and alcohol. It ruined his relationship with his family, especially his daughter Lee (Ryan Simpkins). But now one year out of rehab, Tony is looking to put his life back together, starting by healing his fragile relationship with Lee, who just moved back home after being suspended from school.

Tony’s luck seems to take a turn after he’s invited to audition for the lead role in an upcoming Exorcist-esque remake following the mysterious death of the previously cast actor. He gets the part mainly because the film’s pitiless director (a satisfyingly despicable Adam Goldberg) sees Tony’s real-life struggles as inspiration for the character. He’s able to get Lee on an associate producer and the father and daughter begin to bond.

But only a few days into filming, the cast and crew start noticing disturbing changes in Tony’s behavior. Lee begins to wonder if the role is affecting her father too deeply and causing old personal demons to resurface. Or is there something more sinister and malevolent at work? Anyone who has watched a horror movie or two will instantly know the answer. You’ll recognize all the marks and see all of the signs.

And that gets to the main weakness of the film. None of the horror elements generate any real scares. Some are a little eerie and Crowe does all he can to creep us out. But most of its tricks we’ve seen before – demonic voices, unnatural body contortions, unexplained cuts and gashes, and so on. It’s all there. To its credit, the movie set setting does offer a slightly new perspective, incorporating a lot of fun behind-the-scenes looks at filmmaking into its story. But the meat of the movie tastes pretty familiar.

“The Exorcism” ultimately comes to a lackluster final act that does nothing with the initially promising premise. The use of possession as a metaphor for addiction is interesting and early on you get the feeling that the filmmakers have something unexpected up their sleeves. But the conventional and glaringly unremarkable finish is deflating. Meanwhile the lightly breaded characters languish in a surprisingly low-stakes affair that could have been so much more. “The Exorcism” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS